It’s back to school time and, as the mother of a sixth grader, time for another round of the school supply shuffle. Folders, notebooks, pencils, oh my! The checklist is long, but thankfully, there is a checklist.

The checklist is what makes shopping easy. The checklist tells you exactly how many pencils and eraser heads to buy. Without the checklist it’s likely my son would have too many pencils, not enough paper and the wrong type of folder.

If schools can supply students with a checklist of what they will need to prepare them for a productive school year, why don’t companies supply their leaders with a checklist of what managers need to prepare to onboard new hires effectively?

Jim was anxious to get started in his new management role with a Midwestern consulting company. It was the perfect position for him based on his previous experience. He was ready and raring to go.

When he got to the office on his first day, he was greeted by the HR Director who shuffled him off to a windowless room to fill out the necessary paperwork. Once the paperwork was done, his boss walked him around the office. It was a fairly typical first day.